Transcript:Guthix Ponders
Issue 24 - Guthix Ponders Guthix, everybody’s favourite deity of balance and nature, returns once more to confuse his followers with strange philosophies, equivocation and archaic speech. Topics of particular interest to the floating skull this time include his meeting with the hero Arrav, how the ring of wealth works exactly, and a shocking display of anti-dwarfish. ---- Salutations once more faithful observers of the balance, for Guthix treads once more upon the land to bring responses to thy pleas. My praises extend to all herblorists for their recent discoverys in the usage of herbs, and in this spirit of good humour I hath returned to see which issues press hardest upon mine followers. As always I hath more queries to answer than I hath time to spend in mine responses, yet thou may read on to see what the most important issues to mine followers have been this time... I know that mine role is difficult to comprehend from a merely mortal perspective, for universal truths oft require more universal understanding, but I shall try and simplify mine role so that thou mayst consider it more fully. :#Those that subscribe to mine ideology do not deny the existence, power, nor the role of the other deities upon this land; they see that all are necessary to fulfill the required roles, and in their own way also serve the cause of balance. Mine power is based upon the movements of the planets, the balance of life and death and the wisdom of nature. I hath no need for followers, yet appreciate those who search for truth in mine actions. :#Balance is neither good nor bad, it is simply balance. Should thou have no money, and thine enemy have plenty, then from thy perspective if thy banks were then balanced, it would then be a good thing, for thou wouldst have gained far more than thou originally posessed. From thine eneimeies perspective, this balance wouldst be evil, for their riches would have been halved in but a stroke. Even shouldst thou believe that there are such universal constants as true good, or true evil, thou must realise that these facets of consciousness are defined by their opposite; without good, thou wouldst not know what evil is, and without the darkness thou wouldst not appreciate the light. All things hath a place, yet no one thing should overpower any other; this is the way of balance. :#There are not only three gods upon this world. I know not why, but this is a lie spread by one of mine brothers for his own secret purpose. As for Entrana, it is my understanding that this island was the place where Saradomin didst first step forth upon this world, and as such hath been honoured by his followers more than other such locations. If thou hath truly looked upon this place however, thou will know that although it carries the veneer of Saradominism, at it's heart and under it's skin it hath still the touch of Zamorak below its' earth. There doth not exist a place in the mortal realm wholly aligned with one deity or the other, for this would disrupt the balance and I shall not allow that to occur. :#I hath many plans for this world, for it is crucial in mine experiments. Some day thou may see what mine purpose is, but for now, I shall keep it secret to all for fear that knowledge of my intentions may change the observations which I must make in mine experiment. :#If thou art asking of the city beneath the waves, it hath been submerged for many centuries, and most commonfolk consider it naught but a myth. I tell thee true, however, that such a place doth indeed exist, and even as I write this there are those working to re-establish access between this place and the outside world that hath all but forgotten it over these past centuries. :#Mine senses oft draw me to Taverley, for it hath a tranquil beauty in the way it absorbed nature as part of itself, rather than forcing the natural world out of it as other cities such as Falador hath done. :#There are many creatures that once walked upon this land that have since been destroyed as a race upon this plane completely. Those called in as warriors by the various deities of this world in the so called 'god wars' thou shouldst be particularly glad are no longer walking within this realm, for such abominations brought forth by Zamorak as he waged his war should not be seen on this plane ever again. I hope mine responses hath been satisfactory and as clear as the questions themselves. I act as final arbiter upon this land, for none else will serve this role. When I slumbered and Zamorak and Saradomin hadst free reign upon this world, this world was almost destroyed for each of them hath their own beliefs and desires on how this world should be, but are both so inflexible that they canst not allow compromise between their beliefs, nor resist action where possible to impose their will upon this land. Should either of them ever gain enough power to exceed their opponent, then I am here to act as the agent of balance through either a reduction in ones power, or the elevation of the other. Despite what thou mayst believe, balance doth not occur by itself; it requires both time and effort of consideration to force it upon things. Such ancient artifacts do exist, but hath been lost for many centuries. I believe there are a few denizens of Gielinor who hath copies of such prayer books still, albeit mauled and damaged through the many ages. Like most ancient artifacts still in existence upon this land, they hath a habit of returning into circulation when they are most fully needed... - . . . Saradomin and Guthix stink by the way. . . literally. . . like manuer. . .}} I confess that I hath not played this game that thou speak of, nor read the books thou claim expertise on. I have however actually spoken to dwarves, and they tell me that thou art but some stupid human attempting to hide thy prejudices against their noble race by claiming some kind of expertise upon them that they are fit for naught but digging, drinking and fighting. In fact, the dwarf I spoke to of thine beliefs seemed deeply insulted that their whole race shouldst be presented by thee as naught but degenerates incapable of art, or music, or poetry, or the other standards by which a civilisation be recognised. Zamorak is both a force for, and an embodiment of, chaos. Saradomin is both a force for and a representative of order. I consider neither of them to be intrinsically 'evil' nor 'good', for to make such a judgement requires a perspective skewed towards either order or chaos being the natural state of being for life, and the unnatural state to therefore be 'evil'. Both are needed for life to thrive for neither desolation nor vacuum art states that nature responds to. Entropy is the natural order of things; balance is but a brief, fleeting moment of clarity that can be found rarely, yet struggled for always. Every new life that enters this land disrupts any natural balance that existed, just as every death does likewise. I need no counter for balance, for it is the nature of all life to survive and flourish at the expense of other life, and it is my duty to always restore the scales as they sway back and forth by every action taken by every being on this land. Thou ask for revelations of the future, but thou ask not for the correct context to place them within... A little knowledge is a dangerous thing to possess, for it leads only to idle speculation and misunderstandings, and without knowledge of circumstance, mine answer will give thee knowledge less than that gained by searching for thine own signs and portents of the future. Since thou hath asked directly for a glimpse of thy future however, I shall tell thee of the re-established land routes to the town of Rellekka, the game played by adventurers known as RuneLink, the dangerous sea passages to the isle of Miscellania, and the ruse of Eadgar. As thou may now see clearly, an answer hath not the importance of a correctly worded question, for this knowledge shall only be of use to thee in hindsight. I was unaware of this record of such an encounter, and yet I do not think that thou art completely wrong. There are many places within this realm where the boundaries between the various dimensions are weakened, and should this Arrav have come across such a place where the realm of the gods and that of man didst cross, then he may hath interpreted such an event in ways that his mind could cope with, for to see many of the gods in their true forms, in their own abode, wouldst most likely drive any normal man insane. I know not who this Arrav is, but if he should have survived such an encounter with his mind intact, he must truly have been a man of exceptionally strong willpower, and presence of mind. I see that many people in this world hath conflicting and contrary ideas as to how the ring of wealth may help them. Allow me to set this straight once and for all. :#If thou consider the possessions of an enemy to be like a roulette wheel, then the 'rare' items so coveted by players are located on a second roulette wheel, that will only be spun shouldst thou roll a specific number on the first wheel. The ring of wealth affects not the number which thou may achieve upon the first wheel, but should thou gain the precise number to allow thee access to the second, the ring will make thy chances of gaining an object on that second roulette wheel all the greater. My analogy is flawed, for death is not like roulette, but I hope that thou see the truth within this. :#Life hath no schedule to follow, for it is an ever evolving process, and the nature of balance decrees that things occur when they must occur. However, all events hath their patterns, and by scrutinising that which hath occurred before thou may see the patterns that run through things, and mayhaps predict when new events might be brought about upon this world... And so I must return to mine slumber once more. Planets may spin in the heavens, in sweeping arcs, life may begin and end, civilisations rise and fall and continents clash and seperate, but I as ever remain Guthix. May you walk in the balance, until next we meet, I leave you with my universal truth;